Brussels, 20/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - During UNICE's (European Employers) presentation last week in Brussels of the “Spring 2006 economic perspectives”, the organisation' president Ernest-Antoine Seillière declared on behalf of European businesses that they were still “rather aghast at the scandal of Europe being unable to achieve a growth rate of more than 2%, when the rate is much stronger in the rest of the world. We feel slightly better but are extremely disappointed by growth”. In this connection president Seillière stated that this week's Spring Summit should exhort Member States to implement their national reform programmes, “which is difficult but necessary”.
Jean-Pierre Betbèze chairman of the EU's economic and financial committee repeated this theme, “it is high time to get confidence back”. The UNICE report is divided into two. One part focuses on European economic prospects for 2006/07 and the other on the obstacles to future growth. The main forecasts are as follows: (1) growth: - in 2006: 2.0% for EU 12 and 2.3% for EU 25; - in 2007: 1.7% for EU 12 and 2.1% for EU 25; (2) inflation: - in 2006: 2.1% for EU 12 and 2.1% for EU 25; - in 2007: 2.0% for EU 12 and 2.0% for EU 25; (3) unemployment rate: - in 2006: 8.5% for EU 12, idem for EU 25; - in 2007: 8.4% for EU 12 and 8.2% for EU 25.
The Spring perspectives reveal an improvement in the economic situation this year in most European regions: inflation remains low, current macro-economic policy is not optimal for sustainable growth, indicated Mr Betbèze who added that Europe needed an environment that was much more favourable to jobs, innovation and the spirit of enterprise. Mr Betbèze underlined that national reform programmes establish adequate political priorities but that their implementation was lacking.